Friedman on Capitalism and Freedom

Russ Roberts talks to Milton Friedman about the radical ideas he put forward almost 50 years ago in Capitalism and Freedom. Listen to the most influential economist of the past 50 years discuss the principles of liberty, social responsibility of business, the inertia behind bad legislation and his career as economist and public intellectual.

Just a tip: When you have a great interview subject, your readers/listeners are generally best served by the inteviewer staying out of the way. For someone whose technique is worth emulating, you might want to check the podasts of "Radio Economics" -- it's a mark of just how unobtrusive the host is that I can't even remember his name. But he gets some interesting people on, and then just lets them talk.

You asked if was a student of Milton's. In my first semester at Chicago as a graduate student in economics, Milton taught a non-credit class for anyone who was interested. The format was quite simple. We could ask him anything we wanted and he would answer. Most of the first-year students sat in and we did ask him everything. We'd even ask him questions off the core exam—the qualifying exam required at the end of the first year. He usually got them right, but he struggled once or twice which made us feel very good. In the middle of that semester, he won the Nobel Prize which was very exciting.

But I am truly his student in the same way that you are perhaps—I have read many of his books and been influenced by his ideas.

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Sound engineer:
Rich Goyette
Music from Cleared up Sunset, by Yasuhiro Tsuchiya / unplug
Picture of Russ Roberts courtesy of the author.
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